Are you one of the many people who cannot find toilet paper in your local stores and/or online? You aren’t alone. Toilet paper is a major commodity for most of us now – it’s like the new gold in many households. However, as you might have noticed, not everywhere seems to be suffering from massive loo roll shortages. And it’s not down to having some massive emergency supply – it’s down to the fact that many nations simply do not use toilet roll.
Instead, they find other ways to keep their posterior nice and fresh. However, if we wish to look back to the pre-toilet roll era, around about the 1850s, we can find some rather interesting solutions and ideas. Here are some solutions that used to be prevalent in society before the invention of toilet roll.
Scented Papers
One common choice back in the day was the use of scented papers that would b e used in ancient China. This was documented in the 6th century when a Chinese emperor decided to created 2x3ft scented sheets of paper that he and his family would be using in the bathroom. This is probably about as close to the kind of toilet paper ideal that we’re all so used to!
Ceramics
This sounds about as uncomfortable as you would expect. The Ancient Greeks used to use a mixture of ‘ostraka’ – pottery shards made from ceramic – and ‘pessoi’ – large stones – to try and clean their behinds. Some would even use these shards and write the names of their rivals and foes on the material.
As you might imagine, this might lead to a fair amount of irritation for the old behind. We’d hate to try sitting down after using something like this!
Sponges on a stick
Yes, this might seem rather juvenile, but people used to just put a sponge on a stick and, well, rub. This was a common part of the ancient Roman lifestyle, and people would use the latrines to go in and get washed. They all would even use the same cleansing sponge, attached to a stick, that was known as a tersorium.
The sponge would then sit in some saltwater and/or vinegar in a bid to clean it of the human waste.
So, if you find the concept of the above washing solutions a touch out of your normal comfort zone, just go for a shower. All around the world, this is the easiest, simplest way to deal with the reality of washing your behind.